Lantana plant named &#39;Sunny Side Up&#39;

ABSTRACT

A new and distinct cultivar of  Lantana  plant named ‘Sunny Side Up’, characterized by its low growing, spreading growth habit; leathery, scabrous dark green foliage; continuous flowering; and yellow flower buds that open to yellow with a darker golden-yellow center and age to white with a yellow center.

GENUS AND SPECIES OF PLANT CLAIMED

Lantana sp.

VARIETY DENOMINATION

‘Sunny Side Up’

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar of Lantanaplant, botanically known as Lantana sp., and hereinafter referred to bythe cultivar name ‘Sunny Side Up’.

The new Lantana plant originated from a controlled cross between Lantanasp. ‘Chapel Hill Gold’ (plant patent allowed) and an unnamed selectionof Lantana camara (not patented) as part of a planned breeding programto develop low growing, continuously flowering lantanas with dark greenfoliage. The cultivar ‘Sunny Side Up’ originated and was discovered in acultivated environment in Watkinsville, Ga.

Asexual reproduction of the new cultivar by stem cuttings inWatkinsville, Ga. has shown that all the unique features of this newLantana, as herein described, are stable and reproduced true-to-typethrough successive generations of such asexual propagation.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Plants of the new cultivar ‘Sunny Side Up’ have not been observed underall possible environmental conditions. The phenotype may vary somewhatwith changes in light, temperature, soil and rainfall without, however,any variance in genotype.

The following traits have been repeatedly observed and are determined tobe unique characteristics of ‘Sunny Side Up’. These characteristics incombination distinguish ‘Sunny Side Up’ as a new and distinctcultivar: 1. Low growing, spreading growth habit; 2. Leathery, scabrousdark green foliage; 3. Continuous flowering; and 4. Yellow flower budsthat open to yellow with a darker golden-yellow center and age to whitewith a yellow center.

Plants of the new Lantana ‘Sunny Side Up’ differ from plants of thefemale parent, ‘Chapel Hill Gold’, primarily in flower color, as plantsof ‘Chapel Hill Gold’ have bright golden yellow flower buds and flowers,whereas plants of ‘Sunny Side Up’ have yellow flower buds that open toyellow with a darker golden-yellow center and age to white with a yellowcenter. Plants of the new Lantana ‘Sunny Side Up’ differ from plants ofthe male parent, an unnamed selection, primarily in flower color,foliage color, and growth habit, as plants of the male parent have whiteflower buds that open to solid white flowers, medium green foliage, anda smaller, rounded growth habit, whereas plants of ‘Sunny Side Up’ haveyellow flower buds that open to yellow with a darker golden-yellowcenter and age to white with a yellow center, dark green foliage, and anoverall wider, lower, spreading growth habit.

Plants of the new cultivar ‘Sunny Side Up’ can be compared to plants ofthe cultivar ‘LCBCW’ (not patented). However, in side-by-sidecomparisons conducted in Watkinsville, Ga., plants of the new cultivar‘Sunny Side Up’ differed from plants of the cultivar ‘LCBCW’ in thefollowing characteristics: 1. Plants of the new cultivar ‘Sunny Side Up’had darker green, thicker, more scabrous foliage than plants of thecultivar ‘LCBCW’; 2. Plants of the new cultivar ‘Sunny Side Up’ hadbrighter flower color and larger flowers than plants of the cultivar‘LCBCW’; and 3. Plants of the new cultivar ‘Sunny Side Up’ produced afinished size saleable plant quicker than plants of the cultivar‘LCBCW’.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The accompanying color photographs illustrate the flower and foliagecharacteristics and the overall appearance of the new Lantana, showingthe colors as true as it is reasonably possible to obtain in colorreproductions of this type. Colors in the photographs may differslightly from the color values cited in the detailed botanicaldescription which accurately describe the colors of the new Lantana.

FIG. 1 illustrates the overall appearance of a mature plant of ‘SunnySide Up’.

FIG. 2 illustrates a close-up view of the inflorescences and foliage of‘Sunny Side Up’.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In the following description, color references are made to The RoyalHorticultural Society Colour Chart, 2001 Edition, except where generalterms of ordinary dictionary significance are used. Plants used for thedescription were approximately six months old and were grown in 8 Lcontainers in full sun under outdoor conditions in a nursery inWatkinsville, Ga.

-   Botanical classification: Lantana sp., cultivar ‘Sunny Side Up’.    Parentage: Female parent: Lantana sp. cultivar ‘Chapel Hill Gold’    (plant patent allowed). Male parent: Lantana camara unnamed    selection (not patented). Propagation: stem cuttings. Time to    initiate roots, summer: about 10 days at 32° C.-   Plant description: Herbaceous flowering plant, subshrub, low    growing, spreading growth habit. Freely branching; two lateral    branches potentially forming at every node; pinching enhances    lateral branch development.    -   -   Root description.—numerous, fine, fibrous and well-branched.        -   Plant size.—about 45 cm in height from the soil level to the            top of the inflorescences, and about 120 cm in diameter.            Young stems having a diameter of about 3 mm and a squarish            shape. Mature stems having a diameter of about 4 mm or more            and a rounded shape.        -   Stem strength.—strong, but flexible.        -   Stem texture.—coarse, pubescent.        -   Stem color (young).—144B. Color (mature): 199B.        -   Internode length.—about 3.5 cm.-   Vegetative buds: Opposite in arrangement, valvate, ovoid, pubescent.    Color: 144A. Size: about 1 mm in length and about 1 mm in width.-   Foliage description:    -   -   Arrangement.—opposite, simple. Length: about 4 cm. Width:            about 2.7 cm. Shape: ovate. Apex: acute. Base: cuneate.            Margin: crenate.        -   Texture (upper surface).—leathery, moderately waxy, with            scabrous pubescence. Texture (lower surface): rough, with            hispid pubescence.        -   Venation pattern.—pinnate. Venation color (upper surface):            144B. Venation color (lower surface): 144C.        -   Fragrance.—pungent, mint-like.        -   Color of developing foliage (upper surface).—137B. Color of            developing foliage (lower surface): 143C. Color of fully            expanded foliage (upper surface): 147A. Color of fully            expanded foliage (lower surface): 147B.        -   Petiole length.—about 7 mm. Petiole diameter: about 2 mm.            Petiole texture, both surfaces: hispid pubescence. Petiole            color (upper surface): 144B. Petiole color (lower surface):            144C.-   Flower description:    -   -   Flower type and habit.—small salverform flowers arranged in            axillary corymbs; flowers face mostly upward or outward.            Flowers are self-cleaning. Freely flowering with potentially            two inflorescences per node; typically about 25 flowers per            corymb. Natural flowering season: spring until the first            frost in fall; flowering is continuous. Flower longevity on            the plant: about one week. Fragrance: faint, pleasant.        -   Inflorescence diameter.—about 3.9 cm. Inflorescence height:            about 2 cm.        -   Flower bud length.—about 1 cm. Flower bud diameter: about            3 mm. Flower bud shape: oblong. Flower bud color: 12C.        -   Flower appearance.—Flared trumpet, corolla fused,            four-parted; flowers roughly rectangular in shape. Diameter:            about 1.1 cm. Corolla tube length: about 1.3 cm.        -   Pedicels.—none observed, flowers not stalked.-   Petals:    -   -   Arrangement/appearance.—Single whorl of four petals, fused            into flared trumpet.        -   Petal length from throat.—about 7 mm for the upper petal,            about 5 mm for the lower petal, and about 4.5 mm for the            lateral petals.        -   Petal width.—upper and lower petals are about 8 mm in width,            and lateral petals are about 5 mm in width.        -   Petal shape.—spatulate to somewhat orbicular. Petal apex:            obtuse. Petal base: fused. Petal margin: entire. Petal            texture, upper and lower surfaces: smooth, glabrous.        -   Petal color (young).—upper surface: 4C and lower surface:            4D. Color of throat: 13A. Color of corolla tube: 8C.        -   Petal color (mature).—upper and lower surfaces: 155C. Color            of throat: 9A. Color of corolla tube: 8D.-   Sepals:    -   -   Arrangement/appearance.—one sepal per flower at the base of            the corolla, leaf-like. Length is about 6 mm. Width is about            1.5 mm. Shape: lanceolate. Apex: acute. Margin: entire.            Texture, upper and lower surface: scabrous.        -   Sepal color, upper and lower surfaces.—144A.-   Peduncles:    -   -   Length.—about 5 cm. Diameter: about 1.5 mm. Angle: about 45            degrees from the stem. Strength: flexible, but strong.            Color: 144B.-   Stamens:    -   -   Quantity/arrangement.—four per flower, adnate to the inside            of the corolla tube. Anther shape: oblong. Anther length:            1 mm. Anther width: less than 1 mm. Anther color: 13B.            Pollen amount: produced in very small quantities, and 13B in            color.-   Pistils:    -   -   Quantity.—One inferior pistil per flower. Pistil length:            about 3 mm. Stigma shape: rounded. Stigma color: 145C. Style            color: 145C. Ovary color: 145C.-   Fruit:    -   -   Type/appearance.—drupe. Shape: round. Diameter: about 5 mm.            Mature color: 202A. Number per Infructescence: ranges from            zero to about five.-   Disease/pest resistance: Plants of the claimed Lantana variety grown    in the garden have not been noted to be susceptible or resistant to    pathogens and pests common to Lantana.-   Weather and temperature tolerance: Plants of the new Lantana    cultivar have been observed to be tolerant to rain and wind, and    have been observed to be tolerant to temperatures ranging from about    2 degrees C. to about 38 degrees C.

1. A new and distinct Lantana plant named ‘Sunny Side Up’, asillustrated and described herein.